Recipe · Crispinator® Max
Fennel pork roulade
This spiral, stuffed pork roast makes a special enough impression for a holiday dinner, but is even doable on a weeknight.
Ingredients
For the stuffing
- 1 fennel bulb, stalks and core removed, coarsely chopped (about 1½ cups)
- 1 small shallot, peeled and trimmed
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- ½ cup lower-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for sauce and garnish
- ¼ cup chopped fennel fronds, plus more for sauce and garnish
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the pork
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1½ tsp ground mustard
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
- 3 lb center-cut pork loin
For the sauce
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup lower-sodium chicken broth
- Juice of ½ lemon (about 1 Tbsp)
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp butter, cubed
- 1 Tbsp chopped fennel fronds
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
You'll need
- Meat mallet
- Butcher’s twine
- Food processor
Method
- Make the stuffing: In a food processor, pulse the fennel, shallot and garlic until very finely chopped.
- In a medium sauté pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the fennel, shallot and garlic.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and slightly soft, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon zest and juice, then turn off the heat and transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the breadcrumbs, broth, parsley, fennel fronds, salt and pepper.
- Mix the stuffing until it has the consistency of damp sand. Set aside.
- For the pork: In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, garlic and ground mustard.
- Cut 4 long pieces of butcher’s twine and set aside.
- On a clean work surface, set the pork loin perpendicular to you. With your knife parallel to the cutting board, begin to cut the pork, pulling the meat away with your other hand.
- Make long, shallow cuts into the pork, gradually opening it like a book as you go, until it can lie flat.
- Use a meat mallet to pound the pork to an even ¾-inch thickness all over.
- Coat both sides of the pork with oil and season all over with spice mixture.
- With the cut side facing up, spoon the stuffing onto the pork and firmly press it into a flat, even layer, all over the surface.
- Starting at one of the short ends, roll the pork tightly into a log shape.
- Slip the twine under the pork roll, spacing the pieces at even intervals. Tie the twine tightly.
- Transfer the pork loin to the oven’s baking pan.
- Insert the wire rack into the oven’s lower rack position and set the oven to Roast at 325°F for 65 minutes.
- When the oven is preheated, place the baking pan on the wire rack. Cook the pork until the roast is dark golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 145°F, 55 to 65 minutes.
- Carefully transfer baking pan to a heatproof surface and let the pork rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the wine, broth, lemon juice and salt. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat until it reduces by about half, 10 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and add the butter. Stir until the butter melts and the sauce is well combined.
- Stir in the fennel fronds and parsley.
- Remove the butcher’s twine from the roast and cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices. Serve with sauce, sprinkled with more fronds and fresh parsley, if desired.
